To pay or not to pay?

Slept a bit later than I have been, which was nice. The past couple of mornings have been gray. I like that a lot. Today will be yet another day alone in the office. Quite a few things to do.

As my LiveJournal usage has gone up, I sometimes think about becoming a paid user. I'm ambivilent. On the one hand, it's a lot of fun and I get a lot out of it. On the other, I get frustrated with the way it's run sometimes. If it were run like a professional service, I'd probably not hesitate to pay. With the current style of administration, I can dismiss most of my frustrations with the thought that "hey, it's free." If I paid, I think I'd get pissed.

Of course, there's the idea that if more people pay, the service will be better. I think if one believes that, it's a fine reason to pay. I don't believe that, though. It's a hobbyist's site: this gives it its unique character, and in my mind, also guarantees that professional-level service is not in the offing. I'm OK with that (in fact, somwehat supportive of it); I'm just a bit less likely to pay for it.

As long as it's free, it's not my site. If I pay, I'm going to have expectations. I just wonder, when I experience the growing pains and read some of the ways those are addressed and communicated (or not), whether LJ is ready for the demands of responsiveness.